BREAKING: Hochul looks to sanction Mayor Adams while sparing him removal from office over corruption indictment, reports say

Mayor Eric Adams (left) and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

File Photo by Dean Moses

Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking to impose legal sanctions on Mayor Eric Adams’ executive powers instead of booting him from office in the wake of President Trump’s Justice Department moving to drop his corruption charges, according to published reports Thursday afternoon.

Hochul has decided against moving to remove Adams from office for the time being, which she plans to announce later on Thursday, Gothamist reported.

Instead, she will introduce legislation to curtail the mayor’s executive powers which the state legislature and City Council must approve, according to NY1.

Hochul’s top spokesperson, Avi Small, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The apparent move comes in response to former acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon alleging that Adams engaged in a quid pro quo with Trump’s DOJ to have his case scuttled.

Earlier this week, Hochul held a series of meetings with other prominent New York Democrats to assess how she should deal with Adams as many fear that he is beholden to Trump, especially when it comes to immigration enforcement.

The fear stems largely from the potential dismissal of the Adams indictment “without prejudice,” meaning that the Justice Department could resurrect the case at any time — and some believe that could happen if Adams does not cooperate with Trump.

During his court appearance Wednesday, Mayor Adams denied under oath any quid pro quo with the DOJ, or that he was under any pressure to cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration. 

This is a developing story; check with amNY.com for further updates.